Harmonious

Sorin squatted outside of his apartment door. Elara was busy wearing her socks and shoes when she heard his dejected muttering, "The worst-case scenario is he will castrate me, but my dick will grow back. No, that's the best-case scenario."

Sorin took a long breath and exhaled dramatically as if he was going to face a formidable opponent. "Then, the worst case scenario is... he will castrate me, and my dick won't grow back," since Sorin didn't know Papa's reign yet.

Elara covered her face shamefully.

She stood up. She then helplessly squatted in front of Sorin, who wore his best suit to prepare for his meeting. Her soft voice tickled his ears when she said, "Should I meet my Papa alone?"

"Of course, we should meet your parents together. What am I? A rascal?"

But as Sorin said that to her, the door to the neighboring apartment was opened. The young woman who stepped outside accidentally heard Sorin's words.

Suddenly, the situation became awkward.

When Amy opened the door, she was surprised when she saw the handsome man next door, Shelly, squatting dejectedly in front of his apartment door. And in front of him was the beautiful woman she saw yesterday.

Sugar... was she?

Her clothes hadn't changed from yesterday, and last night... the TV was playing all night. Did they... Amy's suspicion was confirmed when she saw the red marks covering Elara's neck and collarbone.

Being stared like that, Elara awkwardly covered her neck with her hand and stood up straight. She greeted cheerfully, "Hi, Amy! We meet again."

Amy cleared her throat. "Hi, Shelly and Sugar..."

Sorin stood up and closed the apartment door. He nodded at Amy and pulled Elara's hand toward the elevator. But Elara started catching violent goosebumps when Sorin pressed the elevator button. She struggled away, "No! I don't want to ride it."

But Sorin caught her hand again while calmly reminding her, "Behave, Sugar."

"I've been behaving well for the whole night for you!" Elara whined. "Let's not ride the elevator?"

"Why are you the one fussing around when you're the one being naughty in the elevator first?" Sorin retorted.

Elara groaned helplessly, but in Sorin's eyes, she was so adorable it was impossible not to tease her even more. So he scooped her to his shoulder when the elevator door opened. Elara squealed in surprise and then laughed because of Sorin's antics.

The elevator door closed after they entered, joking around together in harmony. After that, silence was left, accompanying Amy standing there, eyes filled with disbelief.

She wasn't sure yesterday, but she was sure now. She began to cry in silence. He truly had a girlfriend already. And she couldn't compare to her at all.

***

"Put me down," Elara said. "My waist hurts."

"It's too bad that your broken hymen can't be sent back to the past. You wouldn't be so hurt then," Sorin's bad mouth forced Elara to pinch his arm mercilessly. Only then did Sorin put her down.

"You're the only man in this world who took a woman's virginity twice and managed to be rough both times!" Elara pouted.

Sorin sneered. His mood was in a bad place when he saw Amy and even more when Elara greeted her so kindly. He couldn't explain the reason, but it felt like seeing his girlfriend being nice to his ex. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I'm sorry," Elara suddenly said carefully. She continued, "When I think about it again, your relationship with her was broken because of me."

"Is that so?" Sorin put on a lopsided smile. "But are you really to blame when you only appeared once in front of her, and that was enough for her to torture me for several years?"

Elara hid a smile. [Sorin is biased for me. A win is a win.]

Sorin laughed. How could he not be biased for her after everything she had done for him? Moreover...

Sorin glanced at the floating screen beside him.

[Elara's Choice!]

Quest Rank: [SSS+]

[Last Boss Fight!]

[Don't die, or Elara the 7th Sovereign will destroy the world!]

[Reverse! Fate deflection attempt, 52%]

The percentage didn't rise at all.

It seemed that this quest would be concluded after the loop was truly broken. The quest would be over after he managed to avoid all kinds of death.

He wondered if Papa would actually be able to hear the future they must discuss today and give them a few pointers. But at the same time, because Sorin felt impolite if he went to visit without bringing anything, he asked Elara what kind of things her parents liked.

"My Papa likes to drink tea and wine. He also likes to meditate until his scented candle burns out. My Mama likes to eat fruit when reading, and... her reading preference is..." Elara hesitated. "...she likes reading smut. And she was never discreet about it either..."

Sorin and Elara looked at each other again. This family... what kind of family he got into?

Sorin sighed, "Let's buy them fruit and scented candles then."

***

Crowdy.

Inside that academy building that was seemingly normal at first glance, the air hummed with an enigmatic energy. But one who walked within its walls for a few seconds would immediately notice something special.

Venerable stones whispered the secrets of centuries as students from diverse realms gathered. Each corridor held a tapestry of magic, where portraits, ensconced in gilt frames, chuckled knowingly.

The library, a labyrinth of knowledge, was a sanctuary for seekers of arcane wisdom. Its tomes, bound in the skin of long-forgotten creatures, beckoned with promises of hidden spells and cryptic incantations.

Outside, a sprawling arboretum teemed with enchanted flora, their petals ablaze with a spectral light. Beyond, the shadowy silhouette of the Blackwood Forest whispered dark secrets and forbidden quests.

In the midst of the institution's classroom, a pale-skinned creature whispered to her friend, a beastly mountain of fur, "I heard a revered ancient is going to attend the school."

"What?"

"A dragon."

Some eyes widened in surprise. It'd been long since those ancients appeared in the mortal realm.